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At one minute past midnight on the morning of the first official day back to work in 2010(today) the embargo lifted on news of a brand new camera system, embodied by the [URL="http://dpnow.com/6638.html"]Samsung NX10[/URL]. It will ship later this month after first having been [URL="http://dpnow.com/articles/5771.html"]previewed at PMA 09[/URL] last March.

You can mark the birth of a new camera system by its lens mount. Until 2003, when Olympus launched the Four Thirds E-System, and its corresponding Four Thirds lens mount, there hadn't been a new lens mount introduced since Canon replaced its old FD lens mount with the EF mount and EOS camera system in 1987. In turn, the FD mount had been around since 1971, although it was actually compatible in many ways with the Canon FL mount that dated back to 1964. Nikon is still using the same physical design in its F-series mount that was introduced in 1959. Sony's lens mount is compatible with the Minolta Dynax/Maxxum mount introduced in 1985, and the Pentax K-mount was first seen in 1975. Leica's M-mount dates back to 1954, and so on. So you can see that the introduction of a new lens mount is a rare and special occasion.

But with the arrival of Samsung's new NX-mount, we've witnessed three new lens mounts in less than 18 months. The other two are Leica's S-mount for its new medium format DSLRs, and the Micro Four Thirds mount from Panasonic Lumix and Olympus.

And I wouldn't rule more new systems in the near future. The betting is on Nikon introducing an ultra compact hybrid system camera, while Sony says it wants to compete in the hybrid camera category, too. That mainly leaves Canon and Pentax. I'm convinced the former would respond if hybrid cameras really take off.

In evolutionary terms, we're in the middle of a golden age for digital camera technology, and one I'm sure that will be looked back on with special interest in many years to come.